The Blazing Chain
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Unknown Regions The Blazing Chain is a group of nomadic raiders who ply their way through The Unknown Regions in search of poorly defended settlements and Starships from which they can plunder whatever they need. Blazing Chain ships are painted with variations of a fiery chain wrapping across the vessel, an intimidating and fearsome symbol. Though many call them pirates, the members of The Blazing Chain prefer quick raids, living on the spoils for long periods of time. Unlike typical raider groups, however, The Blazing Chain uses The Force to gain the upper hand. The Blazing Chain does not adhere to a single philosophy of Force use. Members add powers and techniques to their Force repertoires through trial and error, through the admission of outside Force-users to their ranks, and through teaching the techniques commonly used in raids. Members of The Blazing Chain cannot build Lightsabers and rarely use them. Those who manage to obtain Lightsabers lack the training to use them effectively. Members of The Blazing Chain Force Tradition can select Talents from the Blazing Chain Talent Tree. Membership About 80 percent of The Blazing Chain's members are born into the fleet. However, The Blazing Chain accepts nearly any roguish Force-user into its ranks, as long as the fleet can be persuaded that the candidate adds to the group's power and will not betray the fleet to opposing forces or rival Blazing Chain fleets. Non-Force-users are also admitted, although most find themselves at a distinct disadvantage and unable to rise through the ranks. A Force-user who has clearly turned to The Dark Side is considered risky and is closely watched, especially after the fall of the Blackshackle Fleet. History In the The Old Republic Era, The Blazing Chain starts deep within The Unknown Regions as a group of talented pirates and raiders, bolstered by members who have rudimentary Force abilities. After the Great Sith War, The Blazing Chain encounters Sith ships fleeing into The Unknown Regions. Although a few of the less powerful Sith join Blazing Chain crews, most encounters between The Sith and The Blazing Chain are violent and deadly. However, the Chain learns new techniques from The Sith, even though the group rejects the Sith's established philosophy. Gradually, the Force-users in The Blazing Chain outnumber those without Force abilities. By the time of the Dark Wars, 90 percent of Blazing Chain members are Force-sensitive. The Blazing Chain operates as a dozen small autonomous fleets, scattered throughout The Unknown Regions. The fleets are made up of a wide variety of ships captured over the years. Each fleet is lead by an Adacap, a strong-willed, charismatic, and intelligent captain, able to keep his or her followers in line through threat, bribery, or genuine respect. Rarely does a single leader emerge to head the entire Blazing Chain. However, the fleets regard each other as brethren and rarely combat each other directly. United raids are carried out on an ad hoc basis. One year prior to the Battle of Naboo, members of the Blazing Chain Blackshackle Fleet fall to The Dark Side while under the command of Adacap Zonsoe. Inspired by tales of Sith power, Zonsoe exchanges the role of raider for that of conqueror and begins to take permanent control of some of The Blazing Chain's favorite targets and havens. Zonsoe defeats the rival Blazing Chain Arcblade Fleet, absorbing half of its members into his ranks. Over the next five years, the remaining Blazing Chain fleets fight both alone and in concert against Zonsoe's forces, finally shattering the Blackshackle Fleet in a massive space battle that leaves the surviving Blazing Chain fleets significantly weakened until after the Battle of Yavin. Over the next few years, The Blazing Chain slowly rebuilds its strength, and its fleets establish strongholds on isolated worlds. The Blazing Chain expands its knowledge of The Force, paying greater heed to the difference between the Light and Dark sides. Although not shunning The Dark Side completely, The Blazing Chain is more aware of its influence and pitfalls. By the fall of The Galactic Alliance, The Blazing Chain is once again a formidable threat, operating widely in The Unknown Regions. Location The far-ranging and splintered Blazing Chain can be found in any part of The Unknown Regions, although it is commonly encountered within the galactic disk and surrounding cloud. A long-isolated fleet might emerge in an unexplored pocket of known space, but this is rare. Most members of The Blazing Chain live aboard their vessels. The largest fleets use colony ships as self-contained cities operating far from any civilized world. However, a fleet typically operates in a particular sector or collection of systems, using deep space or planetary shadowports for resupply and socializing. Later Blazing Chain fleets establish well defended strongholds on isolated worlds, kept secret from outsiders and other fleets. Most strongholds are not homeworlds, but they serve as rallying points, supply caches, fortifications, and meeting locations. Philosophy The Blazing Chain adheres to no single Force philosophy, other than using The Force in any way that benefits its members and makes raiding easier. Although some adhere loosely to Light-Side principles, Blazing Chain raiders freely use their anger and aggression to call upon The Dark Side. Although some fall to The Dark Side, the vast majority of Blazing Chain members do not. To The Blazing Chain, members falling to The Dark Side is only a problem if it endangers the fleet, ship, or crews. Some ships and fleets run for years under a fallen commander. Force training is treated like gunnery or pilot or any other training. Skillful Force-users lead classes grounded in practical use, rather than theory or philosophy. Playing a Member of the Blazing Chain Blazing Chain members begin as Scoundrels, Scouts, or Soldiers. Some who have command abilities begin with the Noble class, but few start with the Jedi Class. Those of the Jedi Class normally concentrate on Talents from the Jedi Guardian and Jedi Sentinel Talent Trees, and virtually none has experience with the Lightsaber Combat Talent Tree. Members select Talents that make them difficult to see or hit, such as Force Haze and Elusive Target. They also prefer Force Talents from the Alter and Control Talent Trees and their own Blazing Chain Talent Tree. Those who have a Dark Side Score greater than 0 often have one or more Force Talents from the Dark Side Talent Tree. Powerful Force-wielding Blazing Chain members eventually take levels in the Force Adept Prestige Class. Members can take levels in Sith Apprentice- or Jedi Knight Prestige Classes only if they have access to Holocrons or to members of those Force Traditions. They might also learn Force Talents of other Force Traditions they encounter, if someone is available to instruct them. Blazing Chain Heroic Units See also: Heroic Units Blazing Chain Nonheroic Units See also: Nonheroic Units Category:Affiliations